Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Last updated: Wednesday April 23, 2008, EDT 7:03 AM
BY JAN BARRY AND BARBARA WILLIAMS
RINGWOOD — Ford's backhoes are done digging up its toxic dump, but other contamination remains in a state park and in the Upper Ringwood neighborhood.
When or if it will ever be removed is up to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which signed off on the contractors' withdrawal from the area last week.
"For now, everything that can be removed has been removed," said Elizabeth Totman, an EPA spokeswoman.
EPA says it is waiting for a plan from Ford on what to do with the remaining waste. But Ford says it's not responsible for some of it.
Contractors for the auto giant have excavated and trucked away more than 35,000 tons of lead-based-paint sludge and tainted soil since 2004. Left behind, however, is toxic waste in two former iron ore mines and Ford's landfill. Arsenic-laced dirt lies near a back entrance to Ringwood State Park and across the road from five houses.
The EPA has said the contamination hasn't made its way to the nearby Wanaque Reservoir. But residents living near the site blame high incidences of illness on the contamination left from Ford Motor Co.'s dumping four decades ago, and say once again their government is not protecting them. The residents, who have sued Ford, want workers to remove all of the waste.
"I know they're far from done, but EPA is lagging in approving other areas to be cleaned," said Vivian Milligan, a neighborhood leader. "The process has been way too slow and a lot more needs to be done."
Federal legislators and state and town officials have urged the EPA to make sure the mess is fully cleaned up. The federal agency, meanwhile, has allowed Ford to work on its own terms and timetable. This is the fifth cleanup of the area.
"EPA walked away from Ringwood while it was still contaminated and still hasn't finished the job," Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg said Tuesday. "EPA needs to get to the bottom of this failure and get this site cleaned up once and for all."
Ford once owned 900 acres in the mining area, but said it doesn't know how much waste was dumped.
The latest plan is for Ford's contractor, Arcadis, to continue testing water and soil and put together a plan for the remaining contamination. The EPA must approve that remediation plan.
"We expect to have the Record of Decision — the plan that outlines how to remediate the site — done by the end of 2009," said Joe Gowers, EPA project manager.
But until a plan is implemented, unknown amounts of contamination remain:
Arsenic: Three excavated areas at the end of Peters Mine Road, near a stream that flows to the Wanaque Reservoir, still contain dirt fouled by arsenic. A known carcinogen, arsenic is linked to an increased risk of cancers including lung and liver.
Ford claims the arsenic is from iron mine tailings and says it is not responsible for removing the tainted soil. It is conducting tests to try to prove it. Arsenic occurs naturally in some rock formations and also is found in automotive paint. Test results are expected at the end of May.
Kevin Madonna, a lawyer representing residents suing Ford for medical monitoring and personal damages they claim resulted from the contamination, said leaving the toxic soil "defies common sense."
"Whether it's Ford's or not, once they dug it up and took it from underground, it's their responsibility to remove it," Madonna said. "If the tarps blow off and it flies into the community, they are responsible."
But Gowers said the soil poses no threat.
"You have to come in contact with it, put it in your mouth, touch it," Gowers said. "The area is still closed to the public, and the tarps are keeping it from seeping into a stream."
Residential properties: Residents are still waiting for the state Department of Environmental Protection to inspect their properties for contamination. Paint sludge was removed from two lawns and a driveway in November 2005 and each property was to be inspected for more.
But the investigation, separate from Ford's work, was suspended after sinkholes appeared near several homes; the heavy equipment needed for excavation and test drilling could have triggered further collapses.
Mayor Walter Davison said the borough wants a complete cleanup as soon as possible.
"Our position is that they have to clean that property up once and for all," he said. "These residents shouldn't have to live with this so long. I'm wondering if there's still paint sludge under yards and driveways."
Mines: Ford has acknowledged its contractors dumped tons of its waste into two mines. At this point, neither Ford nor the EPA have presented a plan of any kind on how that waste is to be addressed. Former Mayor Wenke Taule, an advocate for residents, said the waste in the mines should be removed now, rather than further studied.
"I find it shocking and disturbing that the sites, which are possibly the most contaminated, will not be remediated for years. This means that the residents of Upper Ringwood will continue to be exposed to toxic sludge, and that is outrageous," she said
E-mail: barry@northjersey.com
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